Type Artillery tractor Used by US Army Produced 1950 to 1955 | Place of origin United States Manufacturer Allis-Chalmers Weight 54,008 lb (24.948 t) | |
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The M8 High-Speed Tractor was an artillery tractor used by the US Army from 1950.
Contents
Construction
The M8 is a full-track tractor based on the chassis of the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank. It was used to tow cargo trailers and artillery such as the Skysweeper 75 mm anti-aircraft gun and the M59 Long Tom gun. The basic M8 variant could be quickly adapted for carrying projectiles and charges. Unusually for a tractor, the M8's engine was located at the front of the cab. Some M8s were equipped with a hydraulic M5 dozer blade.
History
The M8 was developed following the failure of the T33 cargo-carrier, which was based on the M24 Chaffee light tank chassis. The new, standardized M8 was produced between 1950 and 1955.
References
M8 Tractor Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA